Nikola Jokic, Nuggets are Unbeatable When These Two Trends Take Place

The Denver Nuggets are making their case for the best second-half team in the Western Conference after going 8-2 in their last 10 games. Their last game, a 138-130 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, pushed their season record to 38-26. The problem for them is that both teams ahead of them, The Mavericks and Jazz, also are 8-2 in their last 10 games. The good news for that group is that the Warriors are 2-8 during that time. 

Getting back to the Nuggets win over the Pelicans, it added another win to a few streaks that you might not know Denver has. As the aptly named Statzman points out on Twitter, the Nuggets have won seven straight overtime games. This is the longest active streak in the NBA and something to think about the next time a Denver game goes into OT. It’s amazing that the Nuggets managed to extend the game after getting outscored by a combined 25 points in the second and third quarters. But, in the fourth, Nikola Jokic dropped 30 of the team’s 40 points to help tie it up as regulation ended. Joki actually outscored the entire New Orleans offense and looked like a man possessed. It was the second time in their last four games that the Nuggets have scored more than 120 points. Denver has also accomplished this feat three times in their last eight games. This is important because the Nuggets have yet to lose a game all year where they score 120 points or more. While Denver’s offense is ranked 11th in points per game on the year at 111, they have turned up the heat in recent games and upped that figure to 120.3 PPG in their last three. Therefore, if both of those trends continue, we could bear witness to an epic run from this team down the stretch.